


Thunderstorms

by YellowAndVeritablyBonaFide



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Cute, Fluffy, M/M, Protective!Arthur, Storms, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 08:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21442969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowAndVeritablyBonaFide/pseuds/YellowAndVeritablyBonaFide
Summary: When Arthur wakes up to a thunderstorm, he recalls Merlin's fear of them.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 522





	Thunderstorms

**Author's Note:**

> This is really short and it sounds really juvenile and they’re so out of character.
> 
> None the less, it’s kinda cute and an easy-read so I posted it ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Magic: known  
Relationship: established

• • •

A particularly loud growl of thunder jolts Arthur out of sleep. It must be the middle of the night as the prince lazily opens his eyes. Metallic blue flashes behind the curtains; bright enough to illuminate the room. The rain is pelting against the window harshly, reminding Arthur the room is freezing cold. The fire has long since dwindled. Where is Merlin when you need him?

Arthur is just in the middle of wondering what he would have to pay for Merlin to live in his room (just for warmth, obviously), when he remembers. He called Merlin a quivering wuss as Merlin continued to look wide-eyed at the growing storm, last month. He remembers taunting Merlin about being scared by storms and the boy had only laughed along. When Arthur realised he wasn’t denying it, he then continued to make fun of his cowardice.

Arthur sits up. Merlin is afraid of storms. He crosses the floor to the window and shoves aside the curtain; this is definitely the worst storm there has been since Merlin came to Camelot. The stone floor is cold on his feet and he’s glad to have put on sleep clothes before bed. 

Once again, he crosses the floor but to his door this time. “It’s a Merlin thing,” He whispers to the guards outside of his door as they ready their weapons.

They nod and stand back to their previous positions. They know what this means - it happens a surprising amount. They stand as usual and, if anyone asks, it is said that Arthur is exactly where he should be. In fact, all of the guards have a betting pool on when and how the two will get together. They also have a betting pool on if Merlin’s magic is revealed to Uther but that’s a different story entirely.

Arthur makes his way down to Merlin’s room quietly, his feet patting the ground in a light tip-toe. When he reaches the door to Gaius’ room, he creaks it open slightly - only enough so he can slip in - and shuts it. He moves effortlessly across the room to Merlin’s door. He can hear the whimpering before he even opens it.

“Hey,” Arthur whispers as he steps in and closes the door behind himself.

He then looks at the shaking boy on the bed who is looking up at him with such anxiety it’s hard to bear. The sheer panic and fear on his face tugs at Arthur’s heart like a puppet master. He’s sat up at the farthest corner of his bed from the window, shuddering and wrapped in his sheets. Tears rush from his eyes and down his face as whimpers fall from his tight lips.

The sound of the rain is deafening, Arthur couldn’t sleep in here even if he wanted to. It pelts harshly against the window like a mad man would a closed pub door. The sound is terrifying, really, and Arthur is getting a headache already. 

Arthur lunges forward to collect the boy in his arms. “Oh, Merlin. Oh, baby.” He whispers into his hair as he pulls him to his chest.

Merlin scrambles to sit in Arthur’s lap and bury his face into his hard chest. “Oh, Arthur.” He wails, clawing at the man's back. 

The prince threads his fingers through Merlin's hair in an effort to calm him down. Just his presence helps the servant. He feels protected. Arthur uses his other hand to gently hold Merlin’s hip and rub the skin slightly with his thumb. For a man, Merlin has a lot of feminine features; such as his long eyelashes and small waist that Arthur absolutely adores.

Arthur can feel Merlin vibrating with fear still. ”Hey, baby. It's okay. Storms can't hurt you, yeah?” He murmurs against his cheek, leaving a small kiss afterwards.

Merlin nods but doesn't stop crying. ”In—in Ealdor, they could.” He breathes.

Of course. Arthur had recognised that Merlin was damaged when he first came here, but he's never realised the extent. ”Nothing can hurt you if I'm around. I'll protect you.” He smiles.

Merlin smiles weakly and tucks his head into Arthur's neck. ”Thank you.” He mumbles, tears still fall down his face in rapid succession.

Arthur smiles at the boy in his arms. He is so adorable. He only wishes he could stop crying. ”I think we should try and get some sleep.” He says.

Merlin gasps and looks at Arthur, grabbing onto his shirt. ”Please don't leave!”

Arthur chuckles and holds Merlin’s hands, ”I wouldn't dream of it.” 

The prince guides Merlin down into a lying position and the boy clings to him immediately, entwining their limbs together. ”Thank you.” He sobs quietly.

Arthur smiles to himself, ”Anything for you.” He wraps his arms tightly and securely around the boy. ”I was wondering if you had a silence spell.” 

”I—it doesn't wor—work when I'm upset.” Merlin explains. A particularly loud clap of thunder sounds and Merlin cries out, diving his head into Arthur’s chest.

Arthur thinks for a second then brings Merlin’s hands to his sticky-out-y ears and covers them. Merlin looks up to him with wonder. Arthur pulls him closer and gently trails his fingers along his body to lull him into calmness. He bumps his nose against Merlin’s, making him giggle quietly. He then kisses it which makes them both smile more.

Arthur leans right up to Merlin’s ear, pulling one of his hands away slightly, and mutters, “Can you try now?”

Merlin clamps his hand back onto his ear and closes his eyes. He visualises them in his bed in a stuffy little room in Gaius’ room in the castle in Camelot. He visualises a circle around them and a white light surrounding them with protection. He doesn’t exactly know the spell, so he silently calls upon the deities for help. Hypnos comes forward to him in his visualised circle and kneels. That’s all he needs to know that the spell is done.

Slowly - ever so slowly - he unclasps his hands from around his ears. Silence. Arthur looks at him as if in a daze. 

“It’s so quiet.” Arthur whispers in the softest voice he can muster. The lights still flash outside, illuminating his face gorgeously.

“Silent.” Merlin whispers back with a smile.

Arthur smiles, too. He eases his thumbs under Merlin’s eyes to wipe away the tears. He leaves his hands on his cheeks while they lie together in the hush.

“Thank you for coming,” Merlin mutters. He looks into Arthur’s eyes; lost or perhaps searching. Searching in the blue for a reason to come here.

Arthur moves his hands away and lies on his back, pulling Merlin so that he lies half across him. Merlin snuggles into his side and breathes him in deeply.

“Anything for you, Merlin.”


End file.
